Summary of H. W. Brands' Dreams of El Dorado

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The first Americans entered human history as Asia’s east. They were hunters who spread and multiplied across the Americas, and they forgot where they came from. The American West was sparsely populated because of a lack of water, while the Great Plains were rich due to the resource of buffalo.

#2 The Mississippi River was the central artery of North America, and its tributaries drained most of what would become the United States. The victory of the United States in the Revolutionary War gave it control of the eastern half of the Mississippi basin.

#3 When Thomas Jefferson became president, he sought to purchase New Orleans, which would guarantee the right of deposit and navigation. He discovered that France had reacquired Louisiana from Spain, by a treaty that was supposed to be secret but didn’t stay so for long.

#4 Jefferson, despite his strict constructionist philosophy, signed the Louisiana Purchase deal with Napoleon. The acquisition of Louisiana doubled the size of the United States, ensuring a handsome patrimony for generations of American farmers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jul 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822544420

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Insights on H. W. Brands's Dreams of El Dorado

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The first Americans entered human history as Asia’s east. They were hunters who spread and multiplied across the Americas, and they forgot where they came from. The American West was sparsely populated because of a lack of water, while the Great Plains were rich due to the resource of buffalo.

#2

The Mississippi River was the central artery of North America, and its tributaries drained most of what would become the United States. The victory of the United States in the Revolutionary War gave it control of the eastern half of the Mississippi basin.

#3

When Thomas Jefferson became president, he sought to purchase New Orleans, which would guarantee the right of deposit and navigation. He discovered that France had reacquired Louisiana from Spain, by a treaty that was supposed to be secret but didn’t stay so for long.

#4

Jefferson, despite his strict constructionist philosophy, signed the Louisiana Purchase deal with Napoleon. The acquisition of Louisiana doubled the size of the United States, ensuring a handsome patrimony for generations of American farmers.

#5

The American West as we know it was created as a result of the Louisiana Purchase. The country now had two halves, an East and a West, with the Mississippi serving as the line of division between them. The American West was developed by the federal government.

#6

The Missouri expedition was led by Meriwether Lewis, a presidential aide who was chosen by Jefferson. It was to explore the region from headwaters to mouth, and claim it for the United States.

#7

President Jefferson wanted Lewis and his team to explore the Missouri river and its principal stream, which may offer the most direct and practicable water communication across the continent for commercial purposes.

#8

The Lewis and Clark expedition was formalized in May 1804. It consisted of three boats, and twelve men: Lewis and Clark, along with their assistants. They were to explore the west and make contact with the native peoples, who kept their distance.

#9

The death of Sergeant Floyd reminded the crew how fragile life was in the wild. Any change in the numbers of the group would be by subtraction, and it was impossible to replace a man who was lost.

#10

The expedition came across large herds of buffalo, which the Sioux tribes hunted. The Sioux were very powerful, and the Americans wanted to make a friendly impression on them. But the Sioux were not willing to make the same kind of friendship with the Americans.

#11

The Tetons were a tribe that controlled the trade on the upper Missouri, and they were hostile to the Americans who tried to pass by them. The Indians would not let Clark return to the keelboat, but he got a message back to Lewis, who sent reinforcements.

#12

The Lewis and Clark expedition was able to pass through the Sioux territory, but they did not achieve good relations with them. They did not fool themselves into thinking they had accomplished Jefferson’s goal of establishing good relations with the most powerful of the upper Missouri peoples.

#13

By mid-October, the Americans had reached the villages of the Mandans, and they decided to build a fort nearby. The warmth of the Mandans toward the Americans contrasted sharply with the chill of the Sioux, but it was the same origin: the prospect that the Americans would break the Sioux blockade of the Missouri River.

#14

The American expedition was made up of two people